Jul 10, 20152 min read

Los Angeles artist Jennifer Celio’s ‘dystopian futures’ seen nationwide

From the National Museum of Women in the Arts “Organic Matters — Women to Watch 2015″ exhibition, Jennifer Celio says, “Not in my Backyard!”

In “Organic Matters,” another artist addresses dystopian futures. Jennifer Celio’s pencil drawing “NIMBY (national park)” (2012), which references the phrase “not in my back yard,” depicts a troubling imaginary park where an oil rig, a food truck selling Korean barbecue tacos and an abundance of surveillance equipment blend poorly with nature.

To make the point more blatant, some tourists in the work ignore a real bear climbing a tree to instead photograph a person in a bear costume. And scrawled in enormous letters on a mountain is the phrase “We are the 99%.”

In Celio’s work, and in many other pieces in the two NMWA exhibitions, there is a tension between beautiful and troubling depictions of nature. That reflects what Langa, the AU professor, says is a view in the art world today that important artists make complicated, abstract works, while those who paint beautiful landscapes are valued less. “We don’t see it in Artforum or ARTnews, particularly,” she says. (Washington Post, June 26th)

“NIMBY (national park), 2012, 38 x 50”, graphite pencil on paper

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Not only is Jennifer Celio getting recognition in Washington DC, she is also in several exhibitions in Southern California.

Jennifer has 3 drawings in “Yesterday’s Future,” curated by Grace K. Anderson, at the Great Park Art Gallery in Irvine, CA.

This exhibition considers the future of innovation and design while celebrating the past.

It uses the influence of William L. Pereira and his modernist master plans for the City of Irvine and UC, Irvine.

The exhibition runs June 6-September 20, 2015.

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Nebulae 2014 8 x 6” graphite pencil on paper

Brand 43 Works on Paper

The Brand Library Art Gallery

1601 W. Mountain Street Glendale, CA 91201

Exhibition Dates: September 26th through October 30, 2015

Opening reception September 26th

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I want to say yes 2014 23 x 38” graphite pencil and watercolor on Yupo paper

CA 101 2015

Exhibition dates: July 31 – August 2 and August 7-9

Opening reception: Friday July 31 7-10pm

Gallery Hours: Saturday August 1 and August 8 1-8pm

Friday August 7 5-10pm

Sunday August 2 and August 9 1-6pm

AES Power Plant 1100 N Harbor Drive Redondo Beach Ca 90277

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Jennifer is also going to be in the upcoming “Wood, Metal, Screw” at Gabba Gallery opening August 22nd through September 19th and “Where the Magic Happens” at Gallery H of Phantom Galleries Los Angeles in Hawthorne in October.